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Floods

Gascoyne's heavy rains are a washout for winter seasonal tomato growers

Some might think rain is good for growing, but for Gascoyne growers June's accumulative total of 104.4mm has been too much for their tomatoes to handle.
Updated
Tomatoes floating in muddy water in lane of tomato paddock

When Ben left Germany, he only planned to stay in the bush for four weeks. That was 14 years ago

Ben Olschewsky was heading to the bush for a four-week building maintenance contract. Fourteen years later, he can't imagine living anywhere else.
Man wearing brown shirt and black cap standing at fence at sunset

River stink no cause for alarm as ecosystem strengthens to bring exciting new life

The River Murray is expected to emit an unpleasant odour this week but experts say it has been years since they have seen it so healthy.
Surface scum in the Murray River from the blue green algae outbreak in April 2016.

Derelict Brisbane shopping centre faces indefinite redevelopment delays due to 'complex' flood works

Developers of the dilapidated Toombul Shopping Centre say they are grappling with the complexities of mitigating flood risk without pushing flows onto their neighbours. 
A drone shot of a building site

Thousands of homes “uninsurable” after updated flood zone modelling

According to a new report from Climate Valuation, by 2030, over three million homes across Australia will have exposure to some level of riverine flood.
Updated
ABC News Current
Duration: 7 minutes 54 seconds

Australia is about to get more water bombers, but not just for fighting fires

Australia's aerial firefighting fleet is being expanded to include planes that can respond to other disasters such as floods and major storms. It comes as longer and overlapping fire seasons place greater pressure on the existing fleet.
Water bomber in action

Sinkhole, damaged roads and blue skies: NSW urged to remain vigilant despite easing rainfall

While this week's torrential rains across the state have begun to ease, the acting commissioner of NSW SES has urged residents to remain aware of potential flooding over the weekend.
Updated
a composite image of sinkhole opened up after the heavy rain in Shoalhaven region and damaged road in Nowra

Evacuation warnings affect hundreds of residents as conditions ease

The New South Wales SES has issued emergency evacuation warnings for low lying areas around the Hawkesbury River region.
Challenging Conditions, NSW Floods: An emergency worker waist deep in floodwaters. A colleague behind him holds a rope.
Duration: 2 minutes 46 seconds

Sydney's Hawkesbury on alert for flooding after days of rain

Residents in parts of the Hawkesbury region in Sydney's north west are on alert due to rising river levels.
Updated
Residents on Alert, NSW Flooding: A sign for the Nepean river in the foreground beside a flooded roadway.
Duration: 1 minute 39 seconds

Residents cut off, major flood warnings issued amid torrential rain in NSW

Residents in Sydney’s south-west fear they will be cut off from their homes for several days as floodwaters continue to rise.
Updated
Two SES team members in flood waters

Brazil struggling to recover after devastating floods

The floods displaced over 500,000 people and infectious diseases are on the rise.
Brazil Flood Recovery, Devastating Toll: Aerial vision of a flooded airport with water up to a plane's fuselage.
Duration: 2 minutes 28 seconds

South Coast flooding at St George's Basin

The SES made a number of flood rescues due to people driving through flood waters
ABC News Current
Duration: 10 seconds

South Coast flooding closes road

Kangaroo Valley resident Adam Bray was trapped at home as water rushed across the road stopping him from leaving.
ABC News Current
Duration: 16 seconds

It's even rougher on rough sleepers in a storm

Northern Rivers flooding, the lack of affordable housing, and the cost-of-living crisis hit rough sleepers with a triple whammy as many sleep in tents while waiting for public housing.
A swag and three tents are pitched under an open-sided sun shelter

Waiting for darkness to use the toilet: What life is like for women in flood-affected Afghanistan

Climate change-induced flooding has left thousands of people in northern Afghanistan without homes or livelihoods.
Updated
A female reporter in a hijab and facemask interviews a survivor of floods in Baghlan province, Afghanistan.

It was the worst flood Bundaberg had seen. But is it ready for the next one?

Eleven years on from one of Australia's largest air evacuations, Bundaberg flood victims have finally seen a levee design that's meant to save their city. But they fear nothing will be done by the time the next big one hits.  
A man stands on the bank of glassy river, reflecting the cloudy sky.

'Catastrophic' PNG landslide has left 4,000 in need of humanitarian assistance

An official death toll has still not been reported, but locals estimate the number to be higher than 100.
Updated
 a crowd of people walking on a dirty road, two people carry a stretcher made out of tree branches.

Why does Papua New Guinea experience so many fatal landslides — and what can be done to help?

In addition to its hilly terrain, seismic activity and tropical climate, Papua New Guinea's population is spread across the country in a way that makes it particularly vulnerable to landslide fatalities.
A group of young men walk over piles of rocks and debris, with a green forest in the background.

Family calls for answers 15 months after son drowned at shattered Fitzroy River Bridge

More than a year since James Hester and Halimah James lost their son in the record-breaking Kimberley floods, they're still waiting for answers about why there was access to a destroyed bridge.
Updated
An older man and woman holding a picture of a smiling young boy.

'People are still buying … regardless of the risks': Insurers warn hundreds of thousands of homes are under threat

Extreme weather linked to climate change risks negatively affecting coastal property market values, as storm-related damage and erosion take their toll and insurance premiums soar.
Houses on a cliff edge in the northern Illawarra region.

Indonesia is sending 13.5 tonnes of salt into clouds near area devastated by fatal flash flooding

At least 67 people have been killed in flash floods and landslides in West Sumatra, prompting authorities to deploy a method typically used to fuel rainfall in drought-stricken areas.
An aerial shot shows dark mud flows from a flooded brown river spreading widely across verdant fields.

Flash floods kill more than 300 people in northern Afghanistan after heavy rains, UN says

Flash floods from unusually heavy seasonal rains in Afghanistan kill hundreds of people and destroy more than 1,000 houses, according to the UN food agency. 
Image of two men walking away from the camera, the ground looks muddy and wet.

Cold lava mudslides kill dozens as flash floods hit Indonesian island

Cold lava — a mixture of volcanic material and pebbles — flows down the slopes of active volcano Mount Marapi, destroying houses and cutting roads.
Updated
An aerial shot shows a road split in two as water rushes through where the road used to be,

Weekend washout edges Sydney towards multiple rain records as La Niña looms on the horizon

As NSW is soaked by another bout of rain, updated modelling further raises the prospect of La Niña's return in 2024.
A fisherman casts his rod as storm clouds pass over Botany Bay in Sydney

Caramelo, the Brazilian horse stranded on a roof by floods, is rescued after stirring the nation

A Brazilian horse nicknamed Caramelo by social media users garnered national attention after a television news helicopter filmed him stranded on a rooftop in southern Brazil, where massive floods have killed more than 100 people.
Image of a brown horse with white feet on a roof, the roof is surrounded by water.